Israeli officials reacted swiftly after the deadly shooting in Sydney, Australia, blaming the Australian government for long-standing "countless warning signs" of rising anti-Semitism in the country.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu read during a government meeting a letter he had sent earlier this year to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, after he declared his support for the creation of a Palestinian state.
“Your call for a Palestinian state pours gasoline on the fire of anti-Semitism. It rewards Hamas terrorists, emboldens those who threaten Australian Jews, and fuels the hatred of Jews that is spreading on your streets. Anti-Semitism is a dangerous disease. It spreads when leaders are silent and recedes when they act. I call on you to replace weakness with action and reconciliation with determination ,” Netanyahu said.
According to him, the Australian Prime Minister has done quite the opposite.
"You replaced weakness with more weakness, your government did nothing to stop the spread of anti-Semitism in Australia. You took no action and allowed this disease to spread. The result is the horrific attacks on Jews that we saw today ," Netanyahu said, Fox News reports.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also reacted strongly after today's attack, which killed at least 11 people and injured 29 others.
"We have repeatedly called on the Australian government to act and combat the great wave of anti-Semitism that has swept through Australian society ," Herzog wrote on social media, also posting a photo of a blood-stained prayer shawl.
Foreign Minister Saar was even more critical, stating that Australian authorities have ignored clear signs of growing extremism and hatred towards Jews.
"I am shocked by the shooting at a Hanukkah event in Sydney. This is the result of the explosion of anti-Semitism on the streets of Australia over the past two years, including inflammatory slogans like 'Globalize the Intifada', which today came back into action," Saar said.
He added that "the Australian government, which has received countless warnings, needs to reflect."
According to Australian police, at least two gunmen took part in the attack, targeting a Jewish event called "Hanukkah by the Sea" held on Sydney's famous Bondi Beach. One of the suspected perpetrators was killed during the attack, while the other is hospitalized.
Authorities are investigating the possibility that there may have been a third perpetrator.
Police also announced that evidence indicating the presence of several improvised explosive devices was found near the scene, in a vehicle.